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Fairfax City is developing a new green building policy that will establish standards and incentives for new public and private construction and major renovations. The green building policy will help the city preserve and enhance the city’s natural resources and environment; reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase clean energy; and increase social, health, and economic benefits for the community. The city hired Cadmus Group, a strategic planning consulting firm, to lead the development of the policy.
According to the city’s 2020 Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Inventory, buildings accounted for 43% of total GHG emissions. The primary tools for reducing GHG emissions from the building sector are increasing energy efficiency and generating renewable power on-site.
This policy will help the city achieve its goals to reduce GHG emissions by 80% from 2005 levels by 2050, achieve 100% renewable electricity for government operations by 2035, and 100% renewable electricity community-wide by 2050.
The draft green building policy report was developed with support and guidance from internal and external stakeholder advisory committees comprised of city staff, developers, property owners, utility representatives, community members, and other experts. The draft report includes the green building policy for the public and private sectors, standard operating procedures, rationale for the proposed policies, as well as summaries of the policy development process and stakeholder engagement activities, which are ongoing.
Fairfax City is developing a new green building policy that will establish standards and incentives for new public and private construction and major renovations. The green building policy will help the city preserve and enhance the city’s natural resources and environment; reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and increase clean energy; and increase social, health, and economic benefits for the community. The city hired Cadmus Group, a strategic planning consulting firm, to lead the development of the policy.
According to the city’s 2020 Community-Wide Greenhouse Gas Inventory, buildings accounted for 43% of total GHG emissions. The primary tools for reducing GHG emissions from the building sector are increasing energy efficiency and generating renewable power on-site.
This policy will help the city achieve its goals to reduce GHG emissions by 80% from 2005 levels by 2050, achieve 100% renewable electricity for government operations by 2035, and 100% renewable electricity community-wide by 2050.
The draft green building policy report was developed with support and guidance from internal and external stakeholder advisory committees comprised of city staff, developers, property owners, utility representatives, community members, and other experts. The draft report includes the green building policy for the public and private sectors, standard operating procedures, rationale for the proposed policies, as well as summaries of the policy development process and stakeholder engagement activities, which are ongoing.
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The draft green building policy applies to existing public buildings 1,000 square feet or greater, new construction projects that are 5,000 square feet or greater, and major renovations (see page 5).
Do you think these size requirements are appropriate?
Please note that for public buildings, Virginia Law requires buildings 5,000 gross square feet in size, or the renovation of a building where the cost of the renovation exceeds 50% of the value of the building shall meet green building standards outlined in § 2.2-1183(External link).
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Do you think the current requirement of LEED Silver certification (and equivalent) for private-sector projects and LEED Gold certification for public-sector projects are appropriate (see pages 4-7)?
Should the city consider higher or lower certification levels?
Do you have recommendations for how to structure the tax abatement program (see pages 7-10, and Appendix C) to make it more attractive for businesses and/or maximize net-positive environmental impacts? (e.g., tax abatement %, tiering the abatement based on achievements, expiration date, environmental requirements, etc.)
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How feasible do you find the proposed green building standards? What challenges do you foresee in complying with green building standards? View draft green building policy report.
August 2023: Green Building Advisory Committee Formed
Green Building Policy has finished this stage
The GBP Advisory Committee reviewed literature, identified an initial list of policy measures, solicited stakeholder feedback, and conducted research for the draft green building policy.